Video: Ford Raptor’s Revolutionary Terrain Management System

Combining the best of all-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive, the Raptor gives more options and control to the driver.

The Ford Raptor is one of the most capable off-road trucks on the market. People who spend the money on a Raptor want a dependable truck for daily commuting, but also a 450-horsepower monster for tackling muddy trails. For the all-new model, Ford decided to build a unique Terrain Management System to provide drivers with the best of both worlds.

The Terrain Management System dictates how the all-new, cutting-edge transfer case in the new Raptor behaves, and how it delivers the best of all-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive systems. “Raptor’s transfer case provides the best of both worlds, with the natural benefits from all-wheel drive, such as increased traction in rain and snow, as well as extreme off-road capability that comes with a mechanically locked system,” says Tony Greco, Ford F-150 Raptor program manager.

The beauty of this system is that it features a clutch-based, on-demand all-wheel-drive capability for everyday driving, including all-weather mode, while also providing a mechanically locked, durable four-wheel-drive system for confidence in severe off-road driving environments. This makes the Raptor not just a beast on trails and in the mud, but also great for everyday drivers that want a great riding truck that will get them where they need to go safely.

Now, for those fans of a more “pure” 4WD experience, don’t worry, Ford has you covered. If you don’t want to us the Terrain Management System to automatically determine which configuration is best for your environment, that’s fine, too. Ford gives you the opportunity to manually override the settings and further fine-tune the system for a different experience altogether.

If you think this system still needs to work out the kinks, Ford has an answer for you as well. It was performance-tested in nearly 2,500 miles of competition testing in the 2016 Best in the Desert series, completing the 850-mile SCORE Baja 1000 to conclude the season. Basically, Ford has tested this system in a way that most Raptor owners never will.